Clinical Ethics at the Crossroads of Genetic and Reproductive Technologies

The Human Genome Project has triggered a technological revolution influencing nearly every field of medicine, including reproductive medicine, obstetrics, gynecology, andrology, prenatal genetic testing, and gene therapy. Clinical Ethics at the Crossroads of Genetic and Reproductive Technologies presents and analyzes ethical issues raised by the latest genetic and genomic technologies of relevance to these fields, and provides practical recommendations, guidelines, and algorithms to support ethically sound approaches to prenatal genetic testing, gene therapy, genetic counseling and other aspects of clinical practice.

Broken into two parts, preconception and post-conception bioethical issues, Clinical Ethics at the Crossroads of Genetic and Reproductive Technologies offers thorough discussion of preconception carrier screening, genetic engineering and use of CRISPR gene editing, mitochondrial gene replacement therapy, sex selection, predictive testing, secondary findings, embryo reduction and the moral status of the embryo, genetic enhancement, and sharing genetic data among other topics. Chapter contributions from leading bioethicists and clinicians encourage a global, holistic perspective on applied challenges and moral questions related to implementing genetic reproductive technology, enhancing the book’s practical value for practitioners, regulators, lawmakers, clinical researchers, genetic counselors, and graduate and medical students.

Provides practical analysis of ethical issues raised by cutting-edge techniques and recent advances in prenatal and reproductive geneticsChapter contributions from leading bioethicists and clinicians offer a global, holistic perspective on applied challenges and moral questions related to implementing genetic and genomic reproductive technology, enhancing the book’s practical value for clinical practitioners, regulators, lawmakers, clinical researchers, and graduate and medical students, and encouraging ethically sound approaches to prenatal genetic testing, gene therapy, and genetic counselingThoroughly discusses preconception carrier screening, genetic engineering and use of CRISPR gene editing, mitochondrial gene replacement therapy, ethical issues raised by multi-parents and same sex parents, sex selection, predictive testing, embryo reduction and the moral status of the embryo, secondary findings in prenatal testing, genetic enhancement, and sharing genetic data among other topicsFocuses heavily on ethical issues related to the latest developments in reproductive genetics, including new prenatal testing methods and gene editing approaches

1. Genomic Editing—From Human Health to the “Perfect Child”

2. Ethics of Mitochondrial Gene Replacement Therapy

3. Reproductive Technologies Used by Same Gender Couples

4. Ethical Issues Raised by Multiparents

5. Revisiting the Nondirective Principle of Genetic Counseling in Prenatal Screening

6. Sex Selection, Gender Selection, and Sexism

7. The Impact of Big Data on Beginning of Life Issues

8. The Moral Status of the Embryo From the Standpoint of Social Perceptions

9. Fetal Reduction

10. Stem Cell Therapies for Neurodegenerative Disorders. An Ethical Analysis

11. Predictive Genetic Testing in Multifactorial Disorders

12. Whole-Genome Sequencing as a Method of Prenatal Genetic Diagnosis

13. Noninvasive Prenatal Genetic Diagnosis

14. Prenatal Testing in Low-Risk Populations: A US Perspective

15. Using Genetics for Enhancement (Liberal Eugenics)

16. Should Incidental Findings Arising From Prenatal Testing be Reported Indiscriminately to Patients?

17. Third Party Sharing of Genetic Information